Wrench.



A. L. ROWE.

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APPLICATION FILED DEC 23, 191 5- 7 1 1 86, 1 35. Patented J 11110 6,1916.

2 SHEETSSH'EET l.

WITNESSES ciwmifialb.

I. 9 g! I 1 ATTORNEY A. L. ROWE.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED 050.23. 1915'.

1,1 86,1 35. Patented June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR W ITN ESSES v ATTORNEY UMBXA PLANOGRAPH 60.,wksmua'rou n C AMAZIAH L. ROWE, OF NEWPORT, MAINE.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Application filed. December 23, 1915. Serial No. 68,393.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, AMAZIAH L. ROWE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newport, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In plumbing, gas fitting, steam heating, and in various other kinds ofpipe work, it is often desired to remove or screw up a nipple withoutinjury to the threads thereon so that the same may be used a number oftimes. The usual manner of accomplishing this result heretofore has beento apply a Stilson or other wrench having teeth upon its jaws for bitingengagement with the surface of the nipple to prevent rotation of thewrench with respect to the nipple when pressure is applied thereto toremove the nipple from the pipe or other element with which it isengaged. The use of such a wrench serves to mutilate the threads of thenipple to such an extent that the same may very rarely be used a secondtime.

It is the principal object of this invention, therefore, to provide adevice for removing or tightening nipples or similar elements in a pipeline or the like, without injury thereto.

As a further object, the invention aims to provide a device which may beutilized in the capacity of a die for running over the threads upon anipple or a piece of pipe that has been damaged in order to smooth thesame up.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which issimple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and which is thoroughlyreliable and eflicient in operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of partsas will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view throughthe device. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thehousing. Fig. 4 is an inner face view of one of the dies. Fig. 5is avertical sectional view through the housing with the dies in elevationshowing a manner in which the device may be used, varying from theshowing in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an end view with parts in section of thedevice as ,illus,

trated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an end view and side elevation,respectively, of the auxiliary clamping bolt.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, wherein is illustrated thepreferred embodi ment of my invention, 1 designates a housing ofexternal polygonal shape having extending therethrough. an opening 2which has opposite walls 3 thereof curved and merging into otheroppositely disposed straight walls 4. This housing upon one of its flatexternal faces and intermediate its ends, is provided with a threadedopening 5 which extends entirely through the wall of the housing andopens into one of the curved walls; 3 of the opening 2. Diametricallyopposite the opening 5 and extending through the wall of the housing butarranged adjacent one end thereof, is a second threaded opening 6 whichmay be of slightly less diameter than the opening 5. Each end of thehousing at diametrically opposite points and in close proximity to thecurved walls of the opening 2, has formed therein threaded apertures 7for a purpose which will presently appear.

A pair of semi-circularly shaped dies 8 and 9 of identical constructionhave their outer faces curved to fit the curved walls of the opening 2within which they are arranged. Each of these members 8 and 9 hasflattened portions for engagement with the straight walls 1 of thehousing 1 to prevent rotation of these members within the opening 2, aswill be readily understood. One of these members 8 and 9 is arranged inengageme-nt with each of the curved walls 3 of the housing 1 as shown inFig. 2 of the drawings, and these members are of slightly less lengththan the distance from the center of the opening 2 to the remotestportion of the curved walls thereof that movement of these memberstoward or away from each other is permitted. Headed studs 10 arethreaded into the openings 7 in the ends of the housing 1 and have theirheads overlapping an edge of the opening 2 and abutting against the endfaces of the dies 8 and 9 to prevent removal. of the dies from thehousing. One side ofthe heads of these studs is cut away, however, sothat by alining this cut away portion of the heads with the opening 2,the dies may be readily removed from the housing.

Each of the dies 8 and 9 is provided with a semi-circularly shapedthreaded recess 11,

while one of the dies has formed therein an opening 12 which is adaptedto be alined with the opening 6 in the housing 1, when the dies arearranged therein. The opening 12 is circular in shape and extendsdirectly into the threaded recess of the die. Upon the outer face ofthis die and in axial alinement with the opening 12 is a polygonallyshaped recess 13 which extends into the die any desired distance.

A handle 11 is provided with a threaded shank 15 for engagement in theopening of the housing 1 and has formed thereon a polygonally shapedboss 16 to which a wrench may be applied for a purpose which willpresently appear.

In use the housing with the dies therein, is slipped upon the end. ofthe nipple to be removed or screwed up and the shank of fee the handle14 isthe-n threaded into the opening 5 of the housing 1 until the lowerend of the shank engages against the outer face of the die 8. A. wrenchis then applied to the boss 16 upon the handle and the handle rotated toforce the die 8 into firm clamping engagement with the end of thenipple. The handle is .then gripped at its outer end and the entiredevice operated as a wrench to either tighten or loosen the nipple.

here a nipple has become rusted or is otherwise hard to remove from theelement with which it is engaged and where a sufficient pressure cannotbe obtained by means of the threaded shank 15 engaging against the diewhich prevents rotation. of the device upon the nipple, I provideauxiliary means to eflectively lock the device to the nipple. A bolt 17having a polygonally shaped head 18 is arranged within the opening 12with the head 18 in engagement with the recess 13. The head 18 is ofless thickness than the depth of the recess 13 so that longitudinalmovement of the bolt within the opening 12 is permitted while turningmovement of the same is prevented by reason of the polygonally shapedhead 18 engaging in the correspondingly shaped recess 18. The inner endof the bolt 17 is threaded in the direction of the threads upon theinner face of the die, as at 19. A set screw 20 has threaded engagementwith the opening 6 in the housing 1 and is adapted to operatively engagethe head 18 of the nut 17 to force the threads 19 into engagement withthe nipple when the set screw is threaded into the open ing 6. By thismeans a clamping action is obtained upon the nipple independently of theclamping action of the dies 8 and 9 which will serve to effectually lockthe nipple against rotation relative to the housing Where a nipple isexceptionally hard to remove the handle 14: in all probability would betoo weak to permit of suiiicient pressure being applied thereto toremove the nipple after it has been securely locked with in thehousing 1. I, therefore, use a second set screw in conjunction with thedevice for threaded engagement in the opening 5 for forcing the die 8inward instead of the handle 14. A Stilson or large monkey wrench maythen be applied to the Polygonally shapedexterior face of the housing 1and sufficient pressure exerted thereon to remove the nipple withoutliability of breakage of any of the parts of the device.

It is to be understood that any desired number of dies 8 and 9 may beprovided which may have various sized threaded recesses formed in theirinner faces for engagement with nipples of various diameters. Also, thatany variations in the form. or proportion of the invention may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention and therefore, I do not wish to be limitedto the particular structure shown except for such limitations as mayfall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A device of the character described comprising a housing, .apair of movable dies positioned in said housing, and means for forcingsaid dies into engagement with a pipe element.

2. A device of the character described comprising a housing, a pair ofdies removably positioned in said housing for clamping engagement with apipe element, and independent pipe-clamping means engaged through saidhousing and said dies.

3. A device of the character described comprising a housing, clampingelements carried by said housing, and auxiliary clamping means operableindependently of the clamping elements.

4:. A device of the character described comprising a housing, a pair ofmovable clamping members carried by said housing,

and threaded means for forcing said clamping elements toward oneanother.

5. A device of the character described comprising a housing, clampingmembers removably positioned in said housing, means to force saidclamping elements into clamping relation with a pipe element, and meansfor preventing longitudinal movement of said clamping elements withinsaid housing.

6. A device of the character described including a relatively fixedclamping element. a movable clamping element, means to force saidmovable clamping element in one direction relative tosaid fixed clampingelement, and auxiliary clamping means operable independently of the saidfirst named clamping elements.

7. A. device of the character described comprising a housing, a pair ofdies arranged within said housing for sliding movement toward or. awayfrom each other, said dies being held against turning movement withrespect to the housing, said housing being provided with a transverseopening, and means engaged in said transverse opening for forcing one ofsaid dies toward the center of said housing.

8. A device of the character described comprising a housing, relativelymovable clamping dies arranged within said housing, an auxiliary clampinelement operatively associated with one o said dies, and means carriedby the housing for engagement with said auxiliary clamping element tooperate said clamping element independently of the dies.

9. In a device of the character described, a housing, clamping diescarried by said housing, one of said dies being provided with an openingand a recess, a headed member arranged in said opening with the head inengagement with the recess, and means carried by the housing for movingthe headed member relative to the die.

10. A device of the character described comprising a polygonally shapedhousing, said housing being provided with an opening having oppositelyarranged curved and straight walls, dies arranged within said opening,said dies being provided with curved walls for engagement with thecurved walls of the housing and straight portions for engagement withthe straight walls of the housing, means carried by the housing toprevent removal of the dies therefrom, means for moving one die towardthe other, and auxiliary clamping means operable independently of thedies.

11. In a device of the character described, a pair of clamping elements,means for forcing said clamping elements into engagement with a pipeelement, one of said clamping elements being provided with an openingand a polygonally shaped recess in axial alinement with said opening, aheaded member arranged in said opening, the head of said member being ofpolygonal shape for engagement with the polygonally shaped opening, saidhead being of less thickness than the depth of the recess, the inner endof the headed member being threaded, and means for moving said headedmember relative to said clamping element.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AMAZIAH L; ROWE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of. Patents,

Washington, D. G.

